Comparison

Notepad vs HandyNote

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Notepad

A user-friendly notepad app for organizing notes with tabs and protecting your privacy with Face ID/Touch ID. It offers iCloud syncing, photo attachments, and easy sharing options.

Highlights
  • Face ID/Touch ID/Passcode app lock
  • iCloud sync across devices
  • Organize notes with customizable tabs
  • Attach photos to notes
  • Share notes to other apps
  • Quick save and reorder functionality
Features
Read full description

Simple yet powerful. A user-friendly notepad app that organizes your notes with tabs. ●Protect Your Privacy ・Lock the app with Face ID / Touch ID / Passcode ・Keep your important notes safe from prying eyes ●Sync Everywhere ・iCloud sync automatically syncs your iPhone & iPad data ・Peace of mind when switching devices ●Organize with Tabs ・Sort notes into tabs like "Work", "Shopping", "Ideas" ・Add and rearrange tabs freely (up to 8 in free version) ●Easy to Use ・Pull down to save - that's it! ・Long press & drag to reorder ・One-tap paste from clipboard ・Long press URLs & phone numbers to open instantly ●Photos Included ・Attach photos to notes for richer memories ●Share Anywhere ・Send to your favorite apps - Messages, Twitter, Email & more ●Perfect for ・Keeping private notes away from others ・Quickly jotting down ideas ・Syncing notes across multiple devices ・Organizing notes by category ・Saving notes with photos

About

HandyNote

Features
Read full description

HandyNote is a powerful but easy to use note taking app. Whether you are a student taking exams, a professional managing projects, or a creator sketching out ideas, HandyNote combines powerhouse features with a beautifully simple interface. A note in HandyNote includes title, rich text content, (optional) drawing on canvas, voice recording and pdf attachment. With latest iOS and newer iPhone or iPad hardware, HandyNote supports built-in Apple Intelligence (AI) feature for re-write, proofread and summarize text content. Rich text content supports text translation. User can also change text styling, text font, text size and text color, etc. Content input also support live camera to text. HandyNote supports using stylus pen on ipad and finger drawing on iphone. Sketch drawing can directly share or upload. Optional audio recording supports built-in mic, bluetooth mic and bluetooth earbuds for voice recording. You can record your own voice anywhere, hand-free. For latest iOS 26, HandyNote supports voice to text (transcribe), using voice recording. User can generate PDF for each note. PDF will include title, rich text content, and optional sketch drawing. Another user of HandyNote can import the PDF through ios Files app, as an attachment. So, you can share HandyNote content to students or teammates. HandyNote support category and tags for easy search. Notes are auto sorted by category and title. Search your notes by title, or one click to show notes with tag. Each HandyNote can further add "Status" for each note, such as "Favorite", "Urgent", "Closed", etc, for easy reference. Widget is also supported by HandyNote. User can choose what notes to display in widget, such as "Favorite" status. HandyNote supports auto iCloud Sync. User can start creating a new note on iPhone with text content and voice recording, then continue with iPad sketch drawing. It is automatically, privately, sync using your own iCloud. Privacy Policy: https://wimlog.com/privacy Apple EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Notepad1 screens
HandyNote4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Notepad at every 4 days against HandyNote's fortnightly. Notepad also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Notepad sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and HandyNote sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notepad ships an update every 4 days, HandyNote fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Notepad versus HandyNote: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotepadHandyNote
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews53.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterFortnightly
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSeiji HashizumeWimlog

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Notepad

One-time1
  • Full Version$2.99
4 purchases

HandyNote

Subscriptions3
  • 1 month subscription service$1.991 Month
  • 3 months subscription service$5.993 Months
  • 1 year subscription service$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Canvas Wallpaper$2.99

Questions

Is Notepad free?
Notepad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is HandyNote free?
HandyNote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Notepad or HandyNote have ads?
Both Notepad and HandyNote show ads.
Which is updated more often, Notepad or HandyNote?
Notepad ships an update every 4 days, and HandyNote fortnightly. Most recently, Notepad was updated on November 1, 2026 and HandyNote on October 28, 2026.

Other comparisons